Gators receiver Xzavier Henderson is one of hundreds of college football players who have entered the transfer portal this spring. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Transfer Portal Spins, SEC Field Storming, Napier in NYC, More Gators Tidbits
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The spring transfer portal window remains open through Sunday, which will cap a two-week stretch of chaos across college football. Of course, chaos appears to be the norm these days.
Did you see that 18 Colorado players entered the portal on Monday? What about the the curious case of safety Cam'Ron Kelly, who reportedly visited Louisville last weekend. Kelly originally committed to Virginia Tech, flipped and signed with Auburn, where after going through spring practice as a freshman, transferred to North Carolina. Kelly played three seasons for the Tar Heels, transferred to Virginia after last season, and after playing in the Cavaliers' spring game, has re-entered the portal.
Not picking on Kelly, who could be a poster boy for the transfer portal era. He's just a modern-day nomad in a helmet. And he has a lot of company.
Gators fans are very familiar with the giveth-taketh reality of the transfer portal. Florida's revamped roster includes 10 mid-year transfers. Meanwhile, since the Orange & Blue Game ended 12 days ago, two starters from a season ago — edge rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. and receiver Xzavier Henderson — have informed the program they plan to transfer.
Personally, I'm all for player empowerment. I'm glad to see they can earn income from name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. I'm glad they can transfer and play immediately at another school. They deserve those options. And let's face it, sometimes they are encouraged to depart (Deion could be that posterboy) and the portal gives them a chance to find another home without having to sit out a season.
What I'm really for, though, is for players to be surrounded and advised by people with their best interests in mind. A very small percentage of players in the transfer portal will play in the NFL. Some won't even sign with another school and fade into obscurity. They have to be smart and consider all the factors in such a decision. That is where engaged parents and intelligent, well-meaning advisors play such a crucial role.
There is so much benefit in earning an athletic scholarship to a Division I school. If you do well in the classroom, take care of your business on the team, and develop meaningful relationships, those connections can last a lifetime. There's certainly nothing wrong with players exploring their options. You just hope they're making these decisions to transfer for the right reasons.
As someone once told me, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.
Here are some of the latest headlines of interest to Gators fans:
-- The Southeastern Conference will consider a drastic proposal to end fans storming the field writes Yahoo.com sports columnist Dan Wetzel.
-- As for Henderson's unexpected transfer, Zach Abolverdi of On3.com offers analysis on some potential reasons and possible destinations.
-- Gators head coach Billy Napier stepped outside the SEC footprint on Monday night by making a stop in New York on his spring speaking tour ...
-- The Gators baseball team is back home on Tuesday night and Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun writes about three things we learned from Florida getting swept at South Carolina.
-- Gators quarterback greats weigh in on UF quarterback Anthony Richardson's potential as the NFL Draft approaches writes Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel.
Did you see that 18 Colorado players entered the portal on Monday? What about the the curious case of safety Cam'Ron Kelly, who reportedly visited Louisville last weekend. Kelly originally committed to Virginia Tech, flipped and signed with Auburn, where after going through spring practice as a freshman, transferred to North Carolina. Kelly played three seasons for the Tar Heels, transferred to Virginia after last season, and after playing in the Cavaliers' spring game, has re-entered the portal.
Not picking on Kelly, who could be a poster boy for the transfer portal era. He's just a modern-day nomad in a helmet. And he has a lot of company.
Gators fans are very familiar with the giveth-taketh reality of the transfer portal. Florida's revamped roster includes 10 mid-year transfers. Meanwhile, since the Orange & Blue Game ended 12 days ago, two starters from a season ago — edge rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. and receiver Xzavier Henderson — have informed the program they plan to transfer.
Colorado had 18 players enter the transfer portal on Monday. That's 41 since Deion Sanders was hired.
— Max Olson (@max_olson) April 25, 2023
So far, 63 of their 83 scholarship players from 2022 have moved on.
The numbers behind the most dramatic roster flip of the portal era: https://t.co/Kvaij8VXOc
Personally, I'm all for player empowerment. I'm glad to see they can earn income from name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. I'm glad they can transfer and play immediately at another school. They deserve those options. And let's face it, sometimes they are encouraged to depart (Deion could be that posterboy) and the portal gives them a chance to find another home without having to sit out a season.
What I'm really for, though, is for players to be surrounded and advised by people with their best interests in mind. A very small percentage of players in the transfer portal will play in the NFL. Some won't even sign with another school and fade into obscurity. They have to be smart and consider all the factors in such a decision. That is where engaged parents and intelligent, well-meaning advisors play such a crucial role.
There is so much benefit in earning an athletic scholarship to a Division I school. If you do well in the classroom, take care of your business on the team, and develop meaningful relationships, those connections can last a lifetime. There's certainly nothing wrong with players exploring their options. You just hope they're making these decisions to transfer for the right reasons.
As someone once told me, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.
Here are some of the latest headlines of interest to Gators fans:
-- The Southeastern Conference will consider a drastic proposal to end fans storming the field writes Yahoo.com sports columnist Dan Wetzel.
-- As for Henderson's unexpected transfer, Zach Abolverdi of On3.com offers analysis on some potential reasons and possible destinations.
-- Gators head coach Billy Napier stepped outside the SEC footprint on Monday night by making a stop in New York on his spring speaking tour ...
Gators HC Billy Napier visits with the @gothamgatorclub in New York City 🌃 pic.twitter.com/913hSb2d6e
— Rick Hurtado (@RickHurtadoPR) April 25, 2023
-- The Gators baseball team is back home on Tuesday night and Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun writes about three things we learned from Florida getting swept at South Carolina.
-- Gators quarterback greats weigh in on UF quarterback Anthony Richardson's potential as the NFL Draft approaches writes Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel.
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